Oil-pressure clutch



Jun-e 112,19233.

A. D. GOODWIN OIL PRESSURE CLUTCH Filed Jan. 11, 1922 1N VEN TOR. A LDO (yuvdWaizr a, BY E I Q ATTORNEY Fatented June H2, 1923. I

warren STATES Parana carton.

nrr'ann n. eoonwrn, or arron, canrroanra.

orn-ranseonn cannon.

Application filed. 3anuary 11, 1922. serial No. 528,518.

To all whom it may concern: parts as will fully appear by a perusal of 55 Be itlmown that l, ALFRED D. Goonwin, a the following specification and claims. citizen of the United States, residing at In the drawings similar characters of ref- Ttipon, county of, San Joaquin, State of erence indicate corresponding parts in the 6 California, have invented certain new and several views.

useful Improvements in Oil-Pressure Fig. 1 is a face view of the device, with Clutches; and I do declare the following to the cover plate and valve removed, and lookbe a full, clear, and exact description of the ing toward the drive-shaft end. same, reference being had to the drawings Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the com-- to and to the characters of reference marke plete structure.

thereon, which form a partof this appli- Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on a line cation. 3-3 of Fig. 2.

This invention relates to improvements in Fig. a is a side view of the device that type of clutch. device in which relative Fig. 5 is a fragmentary face view showing 25 movement between the driving and driven a modified form of eccentric means for drivmembers is governed by means of a manuin the pistons. ally controlled flow of oil, which may be eferring now -more particularly to the regulated so that the practically incomprescharacters of reference on the drawings, the sible oil will prevent any movement between numeral 1 denotes a casing, open on one face at the parts, or said oilmay be allowed various for ease of manufacture and assembly, and

degrees of freedom of flow, which will perprovided on the opposite face with studs 2 P7 mit corresponding relative freedom of moveor similar members whereby to attach it to ment of the driving and driven members. the usual end flange of a driving shaft.

The present invention is particularly in- Formed with the casing and arranged in 2 tended as an improvement over that type of diametrically opposed pairs are cylinders 3 similar device shown in my copending apin each of which is slidable a piston 4:, each m plication for patent filed February th, opposed pair being rigidly connected to- 1921, Serial No. M7354, the principal object gether by a slotted yoke 5 arranged with being to simplify the construction of the deflat faces 6 against which the face of an vice as much as possible, principally by the eccentric or cam 7 bears, this cam being fixed elimination of all auxiliary valves, retaining on the driven shaft 8 which passes through only the main control valve. the slots 9 of-theyokes. V

A further object is to eliminate the possi- One or more slot-like ports 10 is cut bility of air pockets in the cylinders, due to through the wall of each cylinder to comthe fact that the cylinders being filled by municate with the interior of the casing, 1

suction are sometimes not completely filled the positioning of these ports relative to with oil, leaving an air pocket which causes the pistons being such that when any piston unevenness in the power delivery. This is at the innermost point of its stroke, that elimination I accomplish by forcing the oil is, nearest the shaft, the ports in the corredirectly from one cylinder to the others sponding cylinder will be uncovered to comthrough the radial passages and the passagemunicate therewith, but will be covered dure5 way in the-main valve. Since the cubical ing the major extent of travel of the ist'on. contents of cylinders and passages are The purpose of these ports will be ereinalways the same regardless of the position after explained. I

655 of the various pistons, it will be seen that Removably fitted onto the casing 1 over the cylinders and passages are always com; its open face isa cover member 11 turnaloo pletely filled with oil. bly mounted in which and surrounding the A. third object is to provide means for shaft 8 is a rotary valve member 12, which. counteracting any leakage of oil past the is hollowed to form a circular or continuous 50 piston rings, which if allowed to take place chamber 13 from which ports 14 lead, adaptunrestricted would soon reduce the efficiency ed to register with radial passageways 15 in not of the device. the cover, which in turn register permanent- These objects I accomplish by means of ly with ports 16 in the casing 1 which open such structure and relative arrangement of into the cylinders adjacent their outer ends,,

tated to close or open times, thus it being, understood that there are as many of these various ports and passageways as there are cylinders, there being preferably four of the latter.

The valve member is preferably taperseated in the cover member, and may be rothe ports regardless of the rotation of the casing and cover by anysuitable means, such for instance as that fully described in the aforementioned copending application. This comprises roughly pins 17 fixed to the valve member and prO ecting through concentrically slotted holes in the cover and also through asleeve 18 slidably mounted on the hub 19 of the cover, which sleeve, when imparted sliding or longitudinal movement along the hub, is also caused to rotate somewhat. This rotation then causes the valve member to be rotated also, by reason of the pins connecting these members, which causes the ports 14 to register with to be moved'to close communication therewith, as the case may be.

In the modified form of driving eccentric shown in Fig. 5, the eccentric 7 on the shaft is surrounded by asquare block 20, forming a race for ball or similar bearings 21 bearing on the face of the eccentric. I

The edge faces of this block bear against the corresponding faces of the 5 for the entire extent of the latter at all giving a better bearing surface between the yokes and the member they engage than is possible with a plain eccentric.

In operation, the cylinders, passageways and valve chamber are filled with oil, while the casing or sump inwardly of the cylin ders is only partially filled with oil, the sump and valve chamber etc. having no communication with each other except by reason of the ports 10.

It will therefore be evident that if they ports 14 are wide open, the oil can flow free-' passagewjaysfr'om y through the various one cylinder to the other,

resulting of course in the pistons being free to move in and out of their cdylinders with the rotationo'f the.

casing an without any movement being imparted to the shaft 8. It will also beseen that the even and smooth flow of the oil 'is not interrupted or disturbed by contact with the rotating and reciprocating pistons and yokes, such as is the case when the main oil supply is in the casing itself.

Now as the ports 14 are gradually closed,

' the resistance to the flow of oil becomes correspondingly greater, until when the ports are fully closed the pistons can have no relative movement, but are firmly locked, causing t I he casing and driven shaft to rotate in unison.

If, as is almost unavoidable, a certain percentage of oil leaks past the pistons into the casing, the efiiciency of the device is the passageways 15, or

piston-yokes' tail the destroyed, since perfect 0 on the valve chamber an connected areas being completely filled with oil.

It is to restore this condition when leakage takes place that I provide the ports 10, the action being as fol ows:

Suppose a certain amount of oil to have leaked past the various pistons into the easing sump. Then when any piston moves inwardly-take for instance the upper piston in Fig. 2there will not be enough oil to fill the cylinder beyond the piston, and a partial Vacuum will be had. With the rapid rotation of the casing, what oil is in the cylinder will be thrown outwardly, by reason of centrifugal force, leaving the empty or vacuum space next to the piston head.

' At, the same time, the ports 10 are uncovered, and they are then within the area of low pressure or partial vacuum. A cer tain portion of the oil within the casingwhich is maintained at least partly filled under normal conditions-will then be drawn into the cylinder, to restore the oil-filled condition thereof. Of course the uncovering of the ports 10 is momentary, but takes place in every cylinder and with every stroke of the-pistons. This sucking-in of the oil therefore, while very slight for each stroke, is continuous as long as any teneration depends dency to vacuum is in the cylinders.

It will be noted that while the member as separate parts, as is necessary for manufacturing and assembling, to all intents and purposes they form asingle unit, in which the movable parts are enclosed, and in the claims these parts are referred to as the casing.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a-device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in depresent and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from: such detail may be resorted, to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention,

what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. An oil pressure clutch comprisin a closed casing, radially disposed cylin ers therein, pistons in the cylinders, a driven shaft journaled in the casing, operative connections between the shaft and pistons whereby the reciprocatory movements of the latter will be opposed to each other, a rotary valve member mounted in the easing and surrounding the shaft, an oil chamber formed in the valve and extending continuously therearound, passageways formed masses? in the casing and extending radially from the peripheral ends of the cylinders, and ports in the valve leading from the chamher to the periphery thereof and adapted to communicate with the passageways.

2. An oil pressure clutch comprising a closed casing, radially disposed cylinders therein, pistons in the cylinders, a driven shaft journaled in the casing, operative connections between the shaft and pistons whereby the reciprocatory movements of the latter will be opposed to each other, an oil reservoir for all the cylinders independent sagewa'ys and cylinders being normallycornpletely oil-filled, and ports leading from the interior of the cylinders to the interior of the casing, said ports being only uncovered when the corresponding pistons are at their innermost position with respect to the shaft, there being a quantity of' oil maintained in the casin In testimony whereof afiix my signature. ALFRED D. GOODWIN. 

